Support carriage

ABSTRACT

A support carriage for use in a magazine for supporting and advancing upstanding panels in a column to a processing station and providing reduced drag on the supporting surfaces. The magazine includes a pair of guide rails and a pushing member, spring biased to push the panels along the rails. The pushing member is journaled with low friction bearings on geared guide shafts. An intermediate support carriage is similarly journaled on said guide shafts forward of the pusher and has elevated support rails extending rearward thereof to lateral bearing supports on the pusher member. The panels are loaded in the magazine with a portion supported on the guide rails and a portion on the support rails of the carriage such that the pusher has to overcome the drag between only one set of rails and one portion of panels at a time.

[151 3,653,655 Apr. 4, 1972 United States Patent Striplin [54] SUPPORT CARRIAGE Primary Examiner-Richard E. Aegerter Attorney-Eckhofi and Hoppe Inventor:

Charles D. Striplin, Box 515, Benica, Calif. 94510 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: June24,1970

[21] Appl.No.: 49,292

A support carriage for use in a magazine for supporting and advancing upstanding panels in a column to a processing station and providing reduced drag on the supporting surfaces. The magazine includes a pair of guide rails and a pushing member is journaled with low fricti geared guide shafts. An intermediate su References Cited similarly journaled on said guide shafts forward of the pusher and has elevated support rails extendin lateral bearing supports on the pusher m g rearward thereof to UNITED STATES PATENTS 683 707 Sague ....27l/30 A l oaded in the magazine with a portion supported on 2,642,285 6/1953 Baker...................................271/62 B rails and a portion on the pp rails of the cama that the pusher has to overcome the dra g between only one set me.

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS of rails and one portion of panels at a ti 6/1935 Germany.............................271/43A 9/1939 Switzerland.........................271/43 A 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPR 4 I972 SHEET 1 OF 2 1754 CHAKLES ATTOIZNEVS SHEET 2 [IF 2 PATENTEDAPR 4 I972 SUPPORT CARRIAGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a support carriage and more particularly to a carriage which will support and advance panels and the like in an efficient manner. I

This invention has particular utility as a magazine for carton end panels in a carton forming machine. Such a machine is described in the copending application entitled, Carton Forming machine, Ser. No. 49,293 filed June 24, 1970. In this machine end panels are brought to a folding station at either side of a carton blank. A mandrel moves down over the face of the magazine and strips off the end panels and continues down to fold the carton blank around the end panels and forms the carton. In this particular machine two magazines are used at either side of the mandrel. Only one such magazine is described in this application, the other being a mirror image thereof.

In such a machine the end of the magazine has to come into registry with the movable mandrel so that the panel will be properly stripped off.

Similarly, the force exerted against the supply of panels to move them along the magazine is limited since the end of the magazine is open and this force will be transferred against adjacent panels to the mandrel. This in turn limits the capacity of the magazine.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide a su port carriage which will support and move a large supply of panel-like objects in multiple stages to reduce the sliding drag of the supply and therefore the force to move the supply.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for moving a large number of panel-like objects in multiple stages in which succeeding stages include a carriage support having associated support rails, with the rails elevated from the preceding stage. In this manner only the panels of the end stage will be sliding along the rails with the other panel stages supported and moved with the carriage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of the specification, in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carriage support constructed in accordance with the present invention with a portion broken away to show the parts therebehind;

FIG. 2 is an end sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 taken substantially along the plane of line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a plane view of the device of FIG. 1, and;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the device of FIG. 3 taken substantially on the plane of line 4-4 thereof.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the support carriage 11 of the present invention includes a pair of guide rails 12a and 12b spaced to support a supply of panel-like members 13, a pushing device 14 biased to engage the supply of panels and push them along the guide rails and a carriage 16 having support rails 17a and 17b elevated from the guide rails 12 and adapted to support a portion of the supply of panel-like members 13.

The guide rails 12 are made from angle stock and are attached in spaced parallel relation. A pair of rods 19 are welded to the rails and support the panels with a line contact at one end of the rail. This decreases the drag on a frame 18. Preferably at this end, the rails are adjustable toward and away from each other to accommodate different'size -panels. A brace 21 supports the frame 18 on the main machine frame 22.

Pushing device 14 is carried on spaced guide shafts 23a and 23b and is biased to push the panels along the guide rails. Pusher device 14 includes a body 24 carrying low friction bearings 26a and 26b joumaled on the guide shafts 23a and 23b. An-upstanding post 27 carries pusher pad 28 which engages the near end panel and pushes it and the column of panels to the far end. A handle 29 extends rearward of the device 14 to facilitate retracting the pusher when loading the magazine.

A spring biasing force is transmitted to the pusher from spring 31 attached to frame 22. Cable 32 is connected to the free end of the spring 31 and is reeved over pulley 33 at one end of the frame 18 and pulley 34 at the far end and then back to post 36 on pusher body 24. Thus the pusher is biased to push the panels toward the far end. As will be noted, when the supply of panels is large the drag will be greater on the rails than when the supply is depleted. This will change the force characteristics on the end panel, the one to be dispensed. This drag will also limit the capacity of the magazine.

To minimize the drag an intermediate carriage 16 is employed. Here a portion of the supply of panels immediately in front of pusher 14 is supported between support rails 17a and 17b and carried as a unit thereon.

The support carriage 16 includes body 38 joumaled through low friction bearings 39a and 39b to guide shafts 23a and 23b similar to pusher body 24. The support rails are attached to carriage body along side pad 41 and extend therefrom toward and along side pusher post 27. Here the rails 17 are supported on stub shafts 42. Stub shafts 42 also carry low friction bearings 43 so the rails will slide easily thereover.

It will be noted that the supply panels may now be divided into multiple stages 44a and 44b with a portion sliding along rails 12 and a portion carried on rails 17 of support carrier 16. Since the carrier 16 is supported on low friction bearing this will reduce the total drag considerably. Also, as the pusher supplies the panels to the dispensing end the preceding portion 44b sliding along the guide rails 12 will be dispensed first. When this portion is consumed the pusher will continue to push the succeeding panels 44a from the support rails 17 toward the dispensing end of the magazine. While only a single support carrier stage has been described, it should be noted that multiple stages may be employed and thus increase the capacity of the magazine correspondingly.

To reload the magazine 11, pusher 14 is retracted by pulling back on handle 29. Support rails 17 have hooks 46 at their distal ends which engage the pusher such that the carriage 16 will be similarly retracted with the pusher.

A guide plate 47 is included at the dispensing end of the magazine and has sloping surface48 which properly positions the panels for pick-up by the mandrel 49.

In use the handle 27 is retracted to its extreme end position and in so doing pulls in cable 32 and extends spring 31. Support carriage 16 also retracts when the pusherpost 27 engages hooks 46 at the ends of support rails 17. In this position the pusher will be at the far end of the magazine from the dispensing station 51, the carriage body 16 approximately mid way therebetween and the support rails extending from the carrier 16 to the pusher 14. Next the panels are loaded onto the magazine with approximately equal portions on the support rails 17 and guide rails 12. The handle is released and under influence of spring 31 pusher 14 advances the column of panels toward the dispense end 51. As the panels are consumed from the first stage 44b (the panel sliding on the guide rails 12) the carriage 16 will contact frame 18. The pusher 14 will continue to slide the panels in stage 440 from the support rail 17 and supply panels to the dispensing end 51.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides an improved support carriage for use as a magazine.

I claim:

1. A support carriage for supporting and advancing a plurality of flat panel members comprising in combination:

a. a pair of fixed guide rails 12a and 12b for supporting flat panel members,

b. a carriage 16 mounted for sliding moment on shafts 23a and 23b parallel to said guiderails, said carriage having support rails 17a and 17b mounted thereon for supporting other flat panel members, said support rails being slightly members can be placed on said support rails and said pusher device will push all of said panels forward, f. discharge means 49 at the end of said support carriage for dispensing the panels one at a time, and

g. said panels on said guide rails sliding along said guide rails and said panels on said support rails not moving relative to said support rails but being carried along by said carriage until all of the panels on said guide rails are discharged whereupon the panels on said support rails slide along said support rails and are discharged.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said pushing device is spring biased.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein said pushing device has a handle thereon whereby said handle can be grasped and the pushing device drawn back against said bias.

I I 4 4K 

1. A support carriage for supporting and advancing a plurality of flat panel members comprising in combination: a. a pair of fixed guide rails 12a and 12b for supporting flat panel members, b. a carriage 16 mounted for sliding moment on shafts 23a and 23b parallel to said guide rails, said carriage having support rails 17a and 17b mounted thereon for supporting other flat panel members, said support rails being slightly elevated from said guide rails, whereby the front edge of said carriage engages panels supported on said guide rails, c. a pushing device 14 also mounted on said shafts 23a and 23b and being capable of sliding moment on said shafts independent of said carriage and being behind said carriage and engaging panel members on said support rails, d. biasing means urging said pushing member forward, e. whereby a first supply of flat panel members can be placed on said guide rails and a second supply of panel members can be placed on said support rails and said pusher device will push all of said panels forward, f. discharge means 49 at the end of said support carriage for dispensing the panels one at a time, and g. said panels on said guide rails sliding along said guide rails and said panels on said support rails not moving relative to said support rails but being carried along by said carriage until all of the panels on said guide rails are discharged whereupon the panels on said support rails slide along said support rails and are discharged.
 2. The structure of claim 1, wherein said pushing device is spring biased.
 3. The structure of claim 1, wherein said pushing device has a handle thereon whereby said handle can be grasped and the pushing device drawn back against said bias. 